Texas Public Information Act

Texas Government Code, Chapter 552, gives you the right to access government records. A public information officer may not ask why you want them. All government information is presumed to be available to the public, however, certain exceptions may apply to the disclosure of information. Governmental bodies shall promptly release requested information that is not confidential by law, either constitutional, statutory, or by judicial decision, or information for which an exception to disclosure has not been sought. Requests must be for records or information already in existence. The Act does not require a governmental body to create new information, do legal research, or answer questions. For more information about the Texas Public Information Act, rights of requestors and the responsibilities of governmental bodies, you may refer to the Attorney General’s Public Information Handbook:

Office of the Attorney General Handbook

How to Access Amarillo College's Public Information

All written requests must be delivered by U.S. mail, electronic mail, hand delivery, or electronically using the SUBMIT REQUEST FORM below.

Amarillo College Public Information Officer
Chris Sharp
Vice President of Business Affairs
PO Box 447
Amarillo, TX 79178
grpOpenRecords@actx.edu

SUBMIT REQUEST FORM

Please include the following information in your request to ensure you receive the information you want:

• Name and mailing address
• Phone number and email address
• A list or description of the information you want - be specific
• Specification of whether you want access to or copies of the information
• Type of file preferred (csv, pdf, etc.) or location if files are to be uploaded

Open Records

Amarillo College is considered a "governmental body" and is subject to the Texas Public Information Act. The Act provides the public the right to access the College's open records.

Charges for Requests

In some instances, requesting access to information may result in a charge.

If the charge for fulfilling your requests exceeds $40, you will receive an estimate of the charges or be informed if a less costly alternative is available. You must respond in writing within 10 business days after the estimate is sent that you will accept the charges, or that you desire any stated alternative, or your request will be considered withdrawn.

If the estimated charge is more than $100, the college may ask for a prepaid deposit before providing the information.

Request for Clarification

A governmental body may ask a requestor to clarify a request for information if the request is unclear or narrow a request if it is too broad. You must respond in writing within 61 calendar days after receiving the clarification request, or your request will be considered withdrawn.

Non-public Information

Some of the information maintained by Amarillo College may not be considered public, such as the following:

• employee and student personally identifiable information/records;
• employee and student medical information/records;
• attorney-client communications;
• attorney work product;
• documents made confidential by statute; and
• documents claimed to be proprietary by a third party (trade secret information).

If you request non-public information as listed above, it will be necessary for the College to request an Attorney General's opinion about this information.